By Dawn Pauli, contributing writer

Jacqueline Lougheed endowed the first-ever scholarship in the Educational Leadership program for a simple reason. She explains, “We need to encourage and support our students as they pursue graduate studies in educational leadership.”

She donated $25,000 to endow the scholarship and supplemented the gift with funds to ensure that the first award will be presented for the fall 2005 semester. The award encompasses the Ph.D. in Education, the Education Specialist in School Administration and the Master's of Education in Educational Leadership programs. The scholarship can be used for tuition, books, research or attending a professional conference.

Lougheed spent the first 15 years of her career in the Detroit Public Schools as a teacher and principal before joining OU 37 years ago. She has more seniority than any other female faculty member on OU's campus and was the third woman in OU's history to receive full professorship.

Lougheed has a long history promoting graduate programs. She helped develop the first master’s degree in the School of Education and Human Services 36 years ago and has helped guide its growth and evolution.

During her years at OU, Lougheed brought in more than $2 million in federal grants for research and teacher preparation. Between 1984 and 1999, she founded and directed OU’s Women in Leadership Forum, assisting hundreds of women in their quest for leadership positions. She received OU's Teaching Excellence Award in 1994 and the Phyllis Law Googasian Award in 1995 for her many contributions to the advancement of women in higher education and OU.

In 2000, the school and her department honored her with a special lecture for her outstanding accomplishments. From 1999 to 2001, she was international president of a 50,000-member organization of women educators. She is currently chairman of the medical mission foundation of Michigan.

“Dr. Lougheed’s gift is important for so many reasons, but especially because she has demonstrated to all of us what it means to be devoted to our students, our school, and the field of educational leadership,” said Mary Otto, dean of the School of Education and Human Services. “She is a true educational leader.”